Shift agri power load to solar hours by March, says Centre

CHENNAI: Union Ministry of Power has set a deadline for the discoms to shift agricultural power load to solar hours by the end of March 2024.

The move will help farmers get power supply during the daylight hours and also access to cheaper power.

In a recent communication to all the State energy department secretaries and managing directors of the discoms, the Power Ministry said that shifting agricultural load to solar hours would help farmers to irrigate their fields during daylight hours.

“Solar power is cheaper than thermal or hydro so the cost of supply during daylight hours is cheaper,” it added.

The power ministry said that there should be no curtailment in the hours of supply for agriculture. “The farmers will keep getting the same number of hours of supply which they are getting now. Because of the large capacity addition in renewable energy, there shall be no shortage of solar or RE during the solar hours,” it said.

To combat global warming, it said that shifting from coal-based power generation to renewables is necessary and India has pledged that by 2030.

“During peak demand of 243 gigawatts, the total demand was met with no shortfall during solar hours. During non-solar hours, there was a shortfall of 8,000 to 9,000 MW. It is expected that the demand will continue growing at a rapid pace because of the increase in the pace of growth of the economy,” it said.

A senior Tangedco official said that they have already provided a power supply to farmers during the solar hours.

“We are providing 15 hours of power supply to the farmers including the solar hours and off-peak hours during the night time,” the official said, adding that the solar power generation has already touched 4,400 MW now and it would go up to 5,000 MW.